CO129-425 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [10-12] — Page 88

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BOPY,

sir,

게

Love!

56949

RECO

REG 10 DEC 15)

Government House,

83

Hongkong, 24th September, 1915.

Referring to the telegraphic correspondence noted in

the margin, I have the honour to report that on the 16th September I

was obliged to release the whole of the cargo of rice carried by the

S.S."Taiwan Maru"

2.

This vessel arrived in Hongkong on the 13th September. An examination of her manifest showed the consignors and consignees

named in my telogram of the 15th September, but there was no means

of ascertaining which consignment or consignments had come from

Messrs. Markwald & Co's Mill. There was the further difficulty that

the Teck Seng Chan firm claim to have acquired that Mill; on which

point I am addressing you separately.

3.

The rice had all been sold to Canton and lighters had

been engaged to carry it. The market price of rice was weakening,

whereby innocent parties might incur a heavy loss; and the S.S.

"Taiwan Maru" was about to lose a contract for the earriage of coolles

on the retum voyage to Hoihow. I accordingly decided that I would

not be justified in having the rice detained any longer and it was

released on the 16th September,

4.

You will no doubt realise that the forfeiture of

cargo seized on the ground that it is of enemy origin could not in practice be obtained without good evidence of the enemy origin xxxixx to rebut the prima facie evidence of innocent origin which the claimants would be certain to produce. It was evident from your telegram of the 11th instant that only a portion of the cargo was suspect and it was impossible for this overment to identify auch

portion.

H. G. Dering, Esq.;

M.V.O.,

His Majesty's Minister,

ВАК кок.

I have, otc.

Sd.

T. H. MAY,

Governor,&C.